As speculation grows about whether Taylor Swift will officially endorse a candidate for the 2024 presidential election, country singer John Rich has spoken out on the matter.
Over the years, Swift has proven that she is a political force. In an Instagram post on September 19, National Voter Registration Day, the singer urged her fans to register on the website Vote.org. The organization claims that over 35,000 people registered following Swift’s post, an increase of over 25 percent from the same day last year.
As the confrontation between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump dominates the news cycle, experts said Newsweek that Swift is likely delaying her public support for Harris in order to have the greatest possible influence in the November election.
Now Rich, a vocal Trump supporter, has shared his thoughts on Swift’s political influence.
Newsweek sent an email to spokespeople for Rich and Swift on Friday seeking comment.
“I can’t wait for Taylor Swift to tell me how to vote,” the country singer wrote on X, formerly Twitter. At the time of writing, his post had been viewed over 425,000 times.
Reactions to the country singer’s post were mixed. One person wrote: “If she does this she will lose a lot of popularity.”
“I wonder if she realizes that a large percentage of the people who buy her tickets and music are conservative parents… the people who listen to her opinion can’t even vote,” said another.
“We can’t wait either! Trump is going to lose his damn mind!!,” wrote a third person.
A fourth added: “They are literally doing the same thing.”
Although Swift has not endorsed any candidate ahead of the November election, her voice is believed to be influential enough to sway thousands to vote with her. During the 2020 election cycle, the pop superstar endorsed President Joe Biden and Harris, and she has been critical of Trump in the past.
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In May 2020, after Trump suggested that protesters against police brutality in Minneapolis could be shot, Swift accused him in a post on her X account of “fueling the fires of white supremacy and racism throughout his entire presidency.”
Her support for Biden/Harris during the last presidential election was made public on October 7, 2020, the same day Harris faced former Vice President Mike Pence in a debate in Salt Lake City, Utah.
This isn’t the first time this week that Rich has shared his political thoughts on X. On Wednesday, Rich claimed that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would endorse Trump for president as early as Friday.
“Supporters of Trump and RFK (respectively) have one thing in common: They want the government to be held accountable for their attacks on the people. RFK supporting DJT would be a huge advantage in this election. I hear maybe Friday? Hold tight :),” Rich posted on X.
According to recent polls, Kennedy Jr.’s withdrawal from the presidential race could hurt Harris’ chances of defeating Trump in the election. Harris has gained ground on Trump in recent weeks, and polls suggest that a close race in the crucial swing states will determine the outcome of the presidential election.
His running mate Nicole Shanahan suggested in a podcast interview on Tuesday that Kennedy Jr. might drop out of the race because of concerns that his candidacy could put Trump at a disadvantage.
Shanahan said the couple could “go right now and ally themselves with Donald Trump.”
Following Shanahan’s comments, Harris’ odds of winning in November fell from 4/5 (55.6 percent) on Tuesday to 10/11 (52.4 percent) on Wednesday, according to bookmakers Bet365 and William Hill. Over the same period, the vice president’s odds at bookmaker Betfair fell from 4/5 (55.6 percent) to 5/6 (54.5 percent).
